The present invention relates in general to devices for storing and displaying album covers and, in particular, to a display frame for displaying multiple album covers and allowing for display of one or more clamshell album covers in an open or closed configuration. The invention also allows for convenient insertion of album covers into a display area and removal of album covers or contained albums sleeves for handling and play, substantially without movement or manipulation of the frame.
The advent of the digital recording revolution and compact disks has left many people with collections of albums, e.g., 33⅓ R.P.M. vinyl records, that are seldom if ever used. In many cases, the owners of these albums are reluctant to depart with these albums that may have been collected over a long period of time at what seemed substantial expense. Such reluctance is often not merely a matter of pecuniary concern, but reflects a great subjective value of the albums and album covers to the owner. In this regard, the owner may wish to retain albums for occasional playing because the recordings are not readily available in digital format, the owner does not wish to repurchase the recording in digital format or the owner simply prefers, in nostalgic moments, to use an old record player or hear the recording on vinyl in spite of (or perhaps because of) scratches, crackles and other historical artifact.
For many, album covers also have artistic value. Many recording artists designed their covers with great care understanding that their fans would spend substantial time enjoying the album covers while listening to the recordings. Such album covers artistically complemented the recordings in a way that, as a practical manner, is different from the way that today""s listeners typically enjoy listening to multiple digital recordings loaded into a magazine or platter. Thus, for a certain generation, a glimpse of the album covers of Pink Floyd""s xe2x80x9cDark Side of the Moonxe2x80x9d or the Beatle""s xe2x80x9cSgt. Pepper""s Lonely Hearts Club Bandxe2x80x9d may evoke a flood of memories, and hearing certain songs may immediately evoke images of album covers. Such album covers also often included lyrics and other information that the album owner may wish to occasionally peruse even today.
It has now been more than a decade and perhaps two decades since most collectors purchased their last albums. There are undoubtedly millions of albums stored in attics, basements and closets in crates or cardboard boxes. Most of these collections will probably be disposed of eventually, once their owners decide that the albums will no longer be used, keeping the records is foolish sentimentality and the storage space can better be used for other purposes.
A number of display or storage devices for albums has been proposed. In some cases, such displays have provided for encasement of an album cover, e.g., behind glass, or have otherwise been designed in apparent contemplation of long-term storage like a kind of museum piece. However, such displays do not readily permit removal of the album covers or albums for periodic playing and use in the manner for which they were originally designed. Moreover, such displays are generally designed to store/display only a single sleeve album cover or closed clamshell album cover. Other storage units accommodate multiple albums, for example in book-like arrangement, but do not provide for simultaneous display of multiple album covers, including open clamshell covers, or do not allow for convenient access to albums/covers without movement or manipulation of the storage device.
The present invention is directed to a device for storing and displaying multiple album covers in a manner that allows for convenient removal of the album covers, or album/sleeves contained in the covers, for handling or play. The inventive device allows for storage of single sleeve album covers and for storage of clamshell album covers in a open or closed configuration. In certain embodiments, access to the album covers and/or sleeves and albums can be obtained substantially without moving or manipulating the display device which may be hung on a wall or the like, where it may be inconvenient to remove or manipulate the device.
In accordance with one aspect of the present invention, a device is provided for allowing simultaneous display of multiple album covers with independent access to individual album cover display areas. The device includes a wall mountable frame for supporting multiple album covers in separate display areas such that each of the album covers can be viewed from a front side of the frame. Independent access is provided to each of the display areas such that any one of the display areas can be accessed for inserting or removing an album cover while the other cover(s) remains displayed in its display area for viewing from the front of the frame. Preferably, each album cover can be accessed without removing the frame from the wall to permit convenient periodic access for handling or play. In this regard, access may be obtained via passive or stationary elements, such as slots, or via active elements such as flaps, covers, bars or hinged panels that can be deployed to access particular display areas. Such independent access advantageously reduces the need to handle album covers other than the one that the user desires to access or to manipulate associated frame portions, thereby simplifying access and reducing the potential of damage or wear.
In accordance with another aspect of the present invention, an album cover display device is provided that has slots for inserting and removing album covers to or from (xe2x80x9crelative toxe2x80x9d) display areas. The slots preferably extend to a side or top edge of the device frame such that individual display areas can be accessed substantially without moving (e.g. dismounting the frame from the wall) or manipulating (e.g., deploying flaps, covers, bars, hinged panels or the like) the album cover display device. Preferably, the slots include pairs of slot ends that define ports at one or more of the frame edges for access to the display areas. In this regard, multiple ports are preferably provided to allow independent access to multiple display areas.